


the times we should be me and you

by Portia77



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, M/M, Multi, OT3, Poly etiquette, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27518767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Portia77/pseuds/Portia77
Summary: Tony meant it when he said he was happy to be in poly relationship with Bucky and Steve, really he did.But he's also inexplicably angry with them, for reasons he doesn't quite understand.Tony decides to leave it be, until it blows up spectacularly in his (and Steve's) face.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 19
Kudos: 357





	the times we should be me and you

**Author's Note:**

> Me @ me: this is an easy one-shot, very simple
> 
> Me, done writing the story: soooo turns out it's gonna 5K words...

The first time it happens, Tony’s indignant anger catches him off-guard. 

He’s been working in the lab for close to eighteen straight hours, and at first, he chalks his reaction up to that fact. He’s hangry. He hasn’t had sex in a solid day and a half. The board is up his ass about the latest Stark tech. Plenty of reasons to be a bit pent-up and irrational. 

But that doesn’t change the fact that his heart beat kicks up a notch when Steve and Bucky corner him there, together, and ask him to sit down and talk about their relationship. 

_ Their _ relationship? Tony surveys the pair of them curiously, fighting back the instinctive urge to correct them waspishly, because last he checked, Tony was in a relationship with Steve.  _ Just  _ Steve.

If he didn’t know his partner so well, he’d be worried that this was how the blond was dumping him for his back-from-the-dead best friend. But he  _ does  _ know Steve, so he talks himself out of jumping to conclusions too quickly. (It’s a close thing, though.) 

“We wanted to talk to you about the three of us,” Steve says, so gentle, so kind. His eyes are the purest shade of blue, wide and open and honest. Tony has never known eyes like that in his entire sorry life. 

Tony looks down at the hands holding his. Steve’s got one, Bucky -- surprisingly -- has taken the other. 

_ Steve wouldn’t dump you like this,  _ he tells himself over and over, so much that he almost blanks out of the conversation.  _ Steve wouldn’t leave you for Bucky and invite said friend to attend the main event.  _

“Me and Stevie got to talking”--Tony’s fear spikes even higher because  _ what does that mean?? _ \--“and we were wondering… I mean, we were hoping, uh…” Bucky looks to Steve nervously, and it’s not the behaviour Tony was expecting. 

It also pushes his fears right over the edge, forcing him to blurt out rather ineloquently, “Am I being dumped?” 

“What?” Both men look at him, aghast. “No,” Steve says quickly, squeezing his hand. “ _ God _ , no. Sorry, we’re both dallying too much here. Straight to the point then: Bucky and I talked about you and we realized we  _ both  _ love you. Very much. I mean, I’ve always loved you, but Bucky does too, now.” 

“Okay.” Tony eyes them cautiously, unconvinced. 

“And we were hoping you might be, possibly, amenable to...to giving it a try. Being together, the three of us. Like a polyamorous triad.” 

Well, of all the things he’d have guessed, it certainly didn’t include this. 

Tony resists tugging his hands from their grasps, but it’s a near thing, once more. “I guess it goes without saying that you both want to date each other?” 

They have the decency to blush. “That’s… That’s what the triad factor implies,” Steve points out, not unkindly. “Is it something you’re interested in?” 

He mulls it over, quick and practical. He’s frankly too tired to spend too much energy worrying about how his insecurity may be perceived. “Is this what you really want?” Tony directs his question to Bucky, the one more likely to be honest. “Or would you rather just be with Steve?” 

Bucky’s response is blessedly adamant and unmoving. “I want you both. I… I know I’m, um, a bit… Well, I know I’m not very good, and I’m a killer, but--”

“Stop.” Tony lets go of his hand to touch two fingers to Bucky’s lips. “Don’t talk about my boyfriend that way.” 

From around Tony’s fingers, Bucky smiles, slow and hopeful. “Yeah?” the question is muffled by Tony’s hand. “You want this then?” 

“I do.” 

It’s an honest answer, if not as open as he could’ve been. After all, Tony’s been hoarding his feelings for his boyfriend’s best friend for close to nine months now. It’s been a year since Steve dragged Bucky home, dishevelled and barely cognizant of who he was and what he’d done. For the past year, Tony’s watched with varying levels of pride and satisfaction as the brunet regained his sense of self and purpose and, Tony had always known, memories of how he’d once loved Steve Rogers, his childhood friend and lover. 

It was hard at times to see Bucky look at Steve and clearly get caught up in a memory of them, but the hurt was always soothed in the way Steve never left Tony’s side, not once. He’d been half-expecting it, half-dreading it, ever since Steve told him breathlessly that Bucky was alive and used by Hydra for seventy years. But the break-up never happened, and Tony gradually relaxed more and more around Bucky, until it reached the point he considered the former assassin to be an ally, then a friend, and then… 

Well, Tony wasn’t lying when he said he was open to becoming a triad.

But something rankles inside his chest even as the words come out. 

“So,” Bucky smiles at him. “Can we take you out, Tony?” 

The irritated feeling grows. 

“Of course.” Tony  _ means it.  _ He’s happy about this development, he is. But it would be a lie to say he’s not relieved when Bucky and Steve take their leave soon after, citing a Shield meeting as their reason, leaving Tony to his thoughts. 

* * *

The second time it happens -- that Tony is aware of -- is after their second date. They’ve been taking it slow, something Tony himself had requested, and there’s been nothing between Steve and Bucky or Bucky and Tony besides hand holding and friendly kisses on the cheek. 

Tony learns firsthand that Bucky is the epitome of charming in ways that just don’t come naturally to Steve. He’d had an inkling, of course, from Steve’s many stories, but that’s nothing compared to the swooping sensation in his chest that comes from the way Bucky raises Tony’s hand to his mouth and kisses his knuckles with such tenderness as it makes him breathless. 

More than charming though, Bucky is  _ fun  _ to be with. Part of it is naturally James Buchanan Barnes, built into his personality in ways that couldn’t be stomped out, but part of it also likely comes from a desire to make up for the time lost to Hydra. 

Knowing this, Tony isn’t altogether surprised when he sits down for dinner with Bucky and Steve one night and learns Bucky wants to go to Coney Island for a day-trip. And that’s… Well, it’s a bit corny for Tony’s liking, but it’ll make Bucky happy, which will make Tony happy, and that’s more than enough. 

It  _ should  _ be nice to discuss -- fun and exciting even -- except for the way it’s brought up. 

“Me and Stevie were thinking of going to Coney Island for our next date. You in, doll?” Bucky winks at him, sly and charming as he plays footsie with Tony under the table. Steve’s got a free arm draped over the back of Tony’s chair, and has been doling out loving expressions to both his boyfriends for the duration of the meal. 

There’s fluttering in Tony’s chest all of a sudden. It’s not giddy butterflies that come with a new relationship, either.

“Sounds fun,” he says, and once again, he means it. The first two dates with Bucky have been nothing but a pleasure; the road the three of them are on is nothing but scintillating, and Tony plans to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

But the hard ball of unease remains knotted in his chest for most of the day.

* * *

People always say third time’s a charm, don’t they? 

The third time Tony’s barraged with unidentifiable anger comes during a cuddle session with Steve, post-coital, and it is -- to borrow an overused expression -- the straw that breaks the camel’s back. 

They’re close to going steady now, all three of them. Tony still had some residual fears about being the outsider, but in total fairness, when they’re on the dates or spending time together, Tony feels nothing but free when he’s with Steve and Bucky. Loving Barnes is easy, he realizes, because the man is practically an extension of Steve Rogers himself. Different in many ways, but also so damn similar it makes Tony laugh. They both get crotchety and ornery about the same things, though Steve tries to hide it more. 

Bucky fits in with them in a way even Tony hadn’t expected. It’s a sweet relief. 

They’ve been dancing around the idea of taking things to the next level for some time now, but Tony thinks he’s ready. No, he  _ knows  _ he’s ready. He’s confident in his love for Steve and he’s pretty damned sure Bucky’s rooting himself into the pits of Tony’s heart with all the stubborn tenacity of a weed. Tony is... _ excited.  _

But they’re not quite there yet, and Bucky had assured Steve and Tony it was okay to keep on with their intimacy as it was before he entered the picture. So Tony has no problems tackling Steve after training one day and all but shoving him down onto their bed while reaching for the lube on his nightstand.

Forty minutes later, Tony’s exhausted and Steve’s curled around his sweaty body like vines over a branch.

“Was good,” Tony slurs, eyes half-closed. “Very good. Aces, Cap.”

Steve smiles against the bare skin of his shoulder, kisses him there. “Glad my reputation is intact.” 

“Oh yeah.” Tony laughs. “Maybe I should write a Yelp review.” 

“I don’t know what that is, but something tells me you shouldn’t.” 

“Spoilsport.” 

They both lay there in silence after that. Tony’s wearing a smile he can’t shake and Steve -- Steve keeps nuzzling into his side and kissing his skin, licking at the droplets of sweat in a way that should probably gross Tony out, but mostly makes him blush.

“You know,” Steve murmurs, “soon we may get Buck in this bed.” 

Tony’s eyes are closed, but his mouth stretches wide into a grin as he imagines the possibilities. 

“Mhmm, if we play our cards right.” 

“I happen to be great at cards.” 

“That’s only because no one expects Captain America to cheat.” 

Steve laughs, low and steady. He goes quiet then, the kind of silence that tells Tony he’s mulling his words over with care. 

“I’m so glad you agreed to be our fella,” Steve says softly, the sincerity in his sentence oozes like honey. It’s so sweet and loving and affectionate. 

The knot of bitterness surges unexpectedly. 

“Of course,” Tony mutters, hoping Steve drops it. 

(He doesn’t.)

“Bucky was so nervous to ask, but I knew you had a thing for him.” Steve’s laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He’s talking fondly, reminiscing about a memory that is, for reasons unknown to Tony, tainted to him. 

“Yeah,” Tony forces out a chuckle. 

Steve’s oblivious to the storm brewing inside him. “We almost made a big production out of it. You know, flowers and all. But I thought you might get overwhelmed by that.” 

“Ah, well. You know me.” 

“I sure do.” Steve smiles up at him. “Still wanna take you somewhere though… Bucky and I were talking, thinking for Valentine’s Day we could go somewhere warm for the week. What do you think?” 

What happens next is what Tony’s mother would call _a_ _disproportionate response_. 

Tony could brush it off if he wanted, and part of him does, but he understands in that moment what has been bottling up inside him and why, and he knows it’s going to get messy when he opens his mouth. 

But Tony’s never been one to back down from confrontation. It just takes him some time to snap, sometimes. 

“Oh sorry, are you asking my opinion? I thought I would just get my invitation in the mail.” 

(Yeah. Disproportionate response). 

To say Steve is shocked is an understatement. He sits up at once, his brows knotted together in dismay. 

“I’m… Tony, I don’t follow. Are you mad?” 

“No,” he snaps, rolling his feet out from the covers and onto the floor. “Why would I be mad? You’ve both been so  _ thoughtful _ to invite me along.” He feels like a cat, hissing and spitting at his owner without warning. 

Steve plainly feels the same, sitting in bed with a stunned look of hurt on his face. 

“Can we, can we slow down here? Tony.” Steve watches him yank his sweatpants on. “I don’t understand what went wrong. We were having a nice conversation and all of a sudden, you’re--”

_ “All of a sudden, _ you announce to me our plans for Valentine’s Day. Plans you made with Bucky. Which is.  _ Fine _ . I don’t…” Tony gives his head a shake. “I don’t care what we do, that’s not the point. I’m just…” Tony waves a hand in the air like that explains everything.

It does not.

“I’m sorry,” Steve blurts. His shoulders are hunched and he looks downright miserable, but Tony… Tony’s been bottling this up for too long to feel sympathy or general human decency at this point, and his vitriol spills out of his body like a crashed oil tank. “We didn’t mean to exclude you, Tony. We just--”

_ “We, we, we.  _ Me and Bucky, Bucky and me. All I hear anymore, you know that?” Oh hell, that comes out so wrong, Tony knows it as soon as he says it. He’s  _ mad _ , but not--that’s not what he’s trying to say here. 

Poor Steve is gobsmacked, like you could drop his newly resurrected mother into the room and not surprise him anymore than Tony’s done. 

“Are you…” Steve’s eyes are glassy. “Are you jealous of Bucky?” 

“No!” Tony snaps, and that’s true. “But I’m...sick of listening to all the plans you two make for our relationship without  _ me. _ ”

“It’s not like we booked anything!” Steve says, growing a bit edgy himself now. “We were just talking--”

“Conversations you used to have  _ with me.”  _ Tony’s voice is loud in their room, but the walls are thankfully sound-proof. He’s pointing to himself with a stabbing motion of his finger. “Your  _ partner.  _ Remember?” 

“Of course I remember! Jesus Christ, Tony, we only talked about it  _ yesterday.  _ I’m… I’m sorry, alright? We won’t talk about vacation ideas without you--”

_ “It’s not about the fucking vacation ideas!”  _ Tony’s face is an ungodly shade of red, and he stands as far from Steve as he can while being in the same room, because he knows on some level that he’s being a prick about this. “This is about you and Bucky making decisions about  _ our  _ relationship. Mine and yours. I mean. I mean, you  _ do _ remember my and yours’ relationship, right? You remember that I dated you  _ before  _ all this.” 

Steve’s mouth is literally agape. “Dear Lord, I feel like I’ve entered into another dimension.” 

“Yeah? Now you know a little how it felt to have my boyfriend and his best friend  _ invite me  _ to join a relationship  _ I was already a part of.”  _ The words come faster and easier now, all the bitterness he’s swallowed back pouring out in waves. “That was  _ our  _ relationship. Ours. And you and Bucky spoke to me like _ I  _ was the interloper!” 

Steve’s frown deepens. “So you’re saying Bucky’s the interloper?” 

_ “Stop fucking defending him!”  _ Tony shouts it at the top of his lungs. “Holy fuck, that’s not the  _ point _ , Steve. I’m standing here telling you that you made me feel like shit and you’re still prioritizing Bucky, and he’s not even here! Which, okay fine, I know how the chain of command goes, but you could at least  _ act  _ like I come first sometimes.” 

“That’s not fair!” Steve’s pushed past humbled guilt and into some seething state of self-defense. He’s got his guard up, standing against the far wall and gripping the bedpost with one hand. “I have never treated you as  _ less than  _ Bucky. I  _ love  _ you.” 

“You love me. You  _ love  _ me?” Tony’s sneer was the epitome of bitterness. “You negotiated the fundamental elements of  _ our  _ relationship with a third person, and then had the gall to talk to me like you were...were... _ bringing _ me in.” 

Steve stares uncomprehendingly. “What?” 

Something in the confusion filling Steve’s face disarms Tony on the spot, blows the wind out from under his sails. Tony sags like a puppet without strings, and covers his face with a weary hand. When he speaks, it’s slow but still rippling with discontent. “It should have been you and I inviting Bucky to join us. Regardless of the fact you and Bucky predate my relationship with you,  _ that  _ should’ve been a conversation you and I had first.  _ Alone.  _ Because you were dating me at the time. You understand?” 

Steve’s breathing hard. It’s plain he’s upset, verging on distraught, but Tony feels like a light breeze will knock him out til Sunday. He can’t manage Steve’s feelings on top of his own shitty ones right now. 

“Bucky approached me that day,” Steve says, voice tight. “He told me he had feelings for me and you, and wanted to know if I had heard of polyamory.” 

“Fine!” Tony throws his hands in the air. “Then the conversation should’ve ended there. And you should’ve found me so we could discuss together. Instead of you and Bucky  _ blindsiding me  _ with a proposition. I mean,” Tony slumps in defeat. “You think I didn’t know where this was headed? I knew Bucky loved you, and I knew damn well you never stopped loving Bucky. And it pissed me off at first, but then I met him, and I understood why you care about him so much. But I thought I’d leave the timing up to you, for  _ you _ to bring it up. I just hadn’t expected to be the last guy to the party, I guess.” 

Neither of them speak for a long, long time. Tony’s just about to suggest they take a breather for the rest of the day and simmer down, when Steve speaks up.

“Please sit down.” 

Tony’s shifty at once. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea--”

“Please,” Steve urges tightly, taking a seat himself at the edge of the mattress. “Please don’t leave like this.” 

He considers it with care. “I’m gonna regret a lot of the things I’ve already said by morning… I don’t want to add to it.”

“I don’t want this to wait until morning.” It’s as if all the energy has been sapped from Steve’s veins; he looks the way Tony feels. “ _ Please _ sit down.” 

Tony obeys.

They don’t touch, but it’s obvious that Steve is tempted to take Tony’s hand. It’s probably for the best for both of them that he doesn’t. 

“It wasn’t my intention to make you feel like you were an outsider in all this.” The blond’s voice is still jagged and kind of curt, but it’s also sincere. His tone shifts into something marginally lighter. “It may surprise you, but I’ve never been in a triad before.” 

The urge to make a quip is strong, but Tony’s not in the mood. He’s barely in the mood to open his mouth to talk at all, a feat in and of itself. “I don’t  _ really _ care about the vacation stuff and planning the dates and everything. It just… It was a reminder of that first conversation, for me. I…” Tony shakes his head to himself. “I was angry then, but I didn’t understand why, until now.” 

“Right.” Steve sighs, rubbing along his hairline with two thick fingers. “Jesus, Tony… Why didn’t you say you were mad? I know you didn’t know why you felt that way,” he adds, catching Tony’s bristling feathers. “But even if you’d just...come to me, and said you were mad about the conversation…” Steve shrugs helplessly. “We could’ve talked it over.” 

Steve has a point. Tony’s not so hot-headed that he can’t admit it. After all, it’s not like he’s ever had a problem before in telling his partner off for offending him or getting under his skin -- on or off the field, for that matter. The yelling he’s done is (probably) hugely irresponsible as a boyfriend and not healthy relationship behavior, and Tony will have to make amends for that eventually, but there’s an unexpected bonus that comes from it. 

In revealing his frustration and heartache, Tony feels... _ freer.  _ His lungs expand easier and already, without having really discussed it with Steve, he feels better for letting it out. 

Stripping back the hard, crusty layer of anger around his heart leaves him softer and more exposed, like the yolk in an egg, and it’s only a few moments of objective self-reflection to pinpoint the deeper issue going on here. 

With a self-conscious blush, Tony picks at a loose thread in the duvet on their bed. Without his anger to fuel him along, opening up like this, even to Steve, doesn’t come naturally. It never has. “I should’ve said something. That’s. That’s my bad, I get it. It’s, uh.” He scratches at the back of his head. “There’s more.” 

“Okay.” 

Like it always does, Steve’s enduring patience bolsters Tony’s courage and blocks out the insecurities screaming in his ears. 

“Asking me, like  _ that,  _ kinda made me feel… I didn’t know what my options were. You know? And if it was just you and me, I could’ve asked you point-blank, but then there were Bucky’s feelings to consider and I didn’t want to make the start of our poly-relationship a  _ thing.  _ Like, turn it into a bad soap opera or something. Even though it kinda is.” 

Tony’s joke softens his words, as he’d hoped, but it doesn’t stop Steve from making a concerned noise and covering the hand plucking at the duvet with his own. 

But Tony’s not done. “It felt like if I said no to Bucky, I would be saying no to  _ you _ , and that made me angry because I felt cornered, like my relationship with you had done a one-eighty overnight when I wasn’t looking.” 

“Right.” Steve mumbles distractedly, clearly recalling the conversation in reference. “That...was  _ not  _ the way I meant to approach it, but I get why you’d see it that way. I do.” 

“Yeah,” Tony says, just as soft. He gazes over at Steve bravely. “What were you thinking then?” 

The handsome blond offers a warped smile, one that hurts at the edges. “I don’t think I did much thinkin’ at all, to tell the truth. Bucky came to me, asking for something I had wanted for… For a  _ long  _ time, if I’m being honest, and it was so close to my reach. I got ahead of myself. In my head,” Steve laughs bitterly. “In my head, I was thinkin’ having the pair of us would, maybe, woo you or something. Soften you up. I didn’t think about how it might make you feel, or the position it would put you in if you wanted to say no. I don’t think I wanted to consider that you might say  _ no _ to this at all.” 

His answer is honest in a way that is so disarming it actually hurts. Tony’s used to it. Steve’s always been the kind of man to lay it all on the line. 

“I don’t like that you didn’t think about my feelings in this,” Tony admits, because if Steve’s being completely honest, so can he. 

“No,” Steve says quickly, inching closer on the bed to him. “No, no, it wasn’t… It wasn’t that I wasn’t considering your feelings. I mean, that’s not what I was trying to do. I was trying to think of the way that would be most likely to make you say yes, which,” Steve makes a face of tremendous self-loathing, “now that I think about it, is a pretty despicable thing to do… I know that now.” 

Tony doesn’t know what to say to that that won’t sound like a complete agreement. 

“Tony. I gotta ask.” They lock eyes. “Would you have said…. If I had spoken to you about it without Bucky around, what would you have said?” 

_ “Yes.” _ Tony is firm on that matter. “I wasn’t lying earlier -- I knew where this was headed, Steve. I just… I wish you had talked to me first, is all.” 

Steve droops in relief, whispering something like  _ thank god  _ to himself. 

Because Tony (apparently) hates himself and is a glutton for punishment, he asks without much thought at all -- “What would you have done if I said no?” 

And there was silence. 

Steve’s shoulder was pressed against his, the heat thrown off his body leaking into Tony’s skin. When he turned his head and met Tony’s gaze head-on, it wasn’t with a horrified guilt as Tony had predicted it would be, but rather filled with immense sadness. 

“I was  _ never  _ going to leave you.” Steve leans in until their noses almost touch, deliberately refusing to blink or look away from him. “Ever.” 

“Even if I said no?” Tony challenges. “If I told you I wasn’t okay with you seeing him, even if I didn’t want to--”

“Even then.” Steve’s brow furrows deep, almost accusatory. “I really made you question that?” 

“Well…” Tony gives a muted shrug. “Yeah. Kinda.” 

“Fuck.” Steve licks his lips, eyes darting away. “I’m… I’m  _ so _ sorry, Tony. That’s. That’s inexcusable on my part. I honestly didn’t know you felt that way…” 

“I know. It’s okay now.” And, surprisingly, it mostly is. There’s a tiny bit of leftover resentment in his heart that will probably crop up a time or two when he’s alone in the shower or tinkering with the Iron Man suit, but it’ll go away. He knows that. “I, uh, I’m sorry I told you...like  _ that.”  _ Here, Tony gestures to the room at large, the scene of their bellowing verbal spar. “I should’ve just told you I was pissed and dealt with it in the get-go. My bad.” 

“Forgiven,” Steve says at once, and the tension that stayed in the room like a bad smell finally goes away. Tony shifts into his boyfriend’s side, smiling when the heavy weight of Captain America’s arm settles over his shoulders. 

They sat in silence for a small eternity, both licking their wounds. When Steve goes stiff without warning, clearly wrapped up in his thoughts, Tony knows whatever he says next is liable to piss him off -- 

“Do you want to tell Bucky we need some time alone?” 

“No!” Tony’s answer is quick and instinctual, so much so that he pauses and takes a minute to actually  _ think  _ about how he feels. With a sigh of relief, he scours his heart and finds it’s the truth. “No, I don’t want that. I  _ like  _ Bucky. I probably more-than-like him, and the last thing I want is to yank him around in this, give him mixed signals. That’s not fair to him.” 

“Wasn’t fair to you either,” Steve murmurs in a voice laden with regret. 

“Yeah, but I’m getting the better deal here. And besides. It was a mistake. Don’t  _ ever _ do it again,” Tony adds quickly, eyeing Steve curtly, “but a mistake all the same. Fuck me, if you held every mistake I made over our heads, we’d have killed each other by now.” 

“You seem to think you make far more mistakes than you really do, Tony.” Steve kisses his forehead. “Not one of them could ever make me want to kill you.” 

“What about the time I--”

_ “Don’t  _ bring up the Cookie Monster fiasco.” 

“Right.” Tony smiles quickly, then lets it fall away into something more somber. “I mean, Bucky definitely shouldn’t have propositioned you without me there, but…” 

“But I’m the one you were mad at.” Steve’s face is a bit pitiful in its resignation, but there’s no anger or blame there. “It’s okay, I understand.” 

At long last, Tony starts to feel a little guilty about his reaction earlier. Not enough to wish he could turn back time, because it’s far better that this was in the open, but enough so he feels awful at the way Steve’s eyes are a bit red around the rims, like he’s been pushing off tears for some time. Tony snuggles in closer to him, trying to reassure him in not so many words that it would all be okay.

“I’m not mad now, but…. We should probably say  _ something  _ to him,” Tony mumbles, pressing his cheek to Steve’s chest. 

“Just to let him know what happened,” Steve agrees. “We… We could maybe figure what we’d like to say? You and me?” 

That’s an olive branch if Tony ever saw one, and the offer soothes the sulking beast in his chest for good. 

He pats Steve’s thick thigh, praising him. “That sounds perfect. In the morning.”

“Okay.” It’s clear Steve’s encouraged by Tony’s response, hugging him closer. He’s decisive, regaining his confidence in slow steps. “We’ll talk to him in the morning.” 

“Together?” 

“Together.” 

* * *

_ Bonus scene  _

\--

The sunshine in Bora Bora is somehow just better than it is anywhere else in the world. Tony lays flat on his back on a towel with his signature shades, soaking in the heat like a cat sunning itself. 

Bucky challenged Steve to a game of volleyball earlier that day, and Tony was more than happy to leave them to it. He had no interest in being reminded of his non-super serum body, thank you very little. But the view isn’t so bad, so he forces himself to sit upright after a while so he can better ogle the way Bucky’s abs flex when he spikes the ball, or the way Steve’s back muscles ripple when he leaps to volley it back over the fence. 

The point goes to Steve in the end, and Bucky howls about him cheating. 

“Tony!” Bucky shouts, running over to him. Tony’s smiling already, aware of what’s to come. “Doll, tell the punk he isn’t allowed to--”

“You’re  _ such  _ a cry baby.” 

“--supposed to--shut  _ up,  _ Rogers! I’m filing a complaint with the ref here!” 

Steve tackles Bucky to the ground without warning, and the pair tussle in the sand at Tony’s feet like overgrown great danes, simply too big for their own good. Tony is almost overwhelmed with the extreme levels of fondness pooling in his chest for both of them. This moment -- this level of privileged domesticity -- isn’t something he’d ever thought he’d have.

But he’s so damn grateful he does.

“This is supposed to be an adult only beach,” Tony calls out, grimacing at them like he’s embarrassed. His boyfriends freeze where they are; Bucky’s gotten the upper hand and is literally sitting on Steve’s head, and not in a sexy way either. “Maybe you boys should try the Club House inside-- _ ah!”  _

The soldiers team up and dive on top of Tony in a practised way that won’t hurt him. Bucky goes for his mouth first, seizing it up in a heated kiss as Steve licks a wet stripe across his cheek. 

“Eugh!” Tony pushes Bucky off to glare at Steve. “What are you, my over-excited puppy? Do you need to be house-trained?” 

Steve grins unrepentantly and lowers his mouth to bite Tony’s chin.

“OW! Jesus!” Tony smacked Steve’s chest. “Here I spoil you both with this  _ wonderful  _ trip, and what do I get in return? Abused!” 

“Abused,” Bucky echoes, amused. “Oh yes, such abuse. Remember when we  _ abused _ Tony last night, Stevie?” 

“Mhmm.” Steve pushes a hand through Tony’s hair. “And this morning.” 

“And just before lunch.” 

“So very cruel,” Steve whispers, and his lips close over Tony’s lovingly, stroking the wet heat of his mouth with an experienced tongue. “Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.” 

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Tony murmurs back, looping an arm around Bucky’s neck to hold him close. His fingers curl in the hair at the nape of Bucky’s neck. “I’m so glad you’re with us, Bucky.” 

Tony doesn’t have the words to rightly convey just how much he means it. There’s no expressing the depth of his love for both Steve and Bucky, nor the gratitude he feels every day when he wakes up and is reminded that they both love  _ him  _ as well. 

Bucky kisses him again with an intensity that catches him off guard. “Pleasure’s all mine, doll. Happy Valentine’s Day. You too, punk... Even if you  _ do _ cheat.” 

Steve rolls his eyes, but kisses Bucky all the same. “Happy Valentine’s Day,  _ jerk _ .”

**Author's Note:**

> The bonus scene was a last minute addition. I felt bad leaving it on a sort of unfinished note, hopefully it isn't too shmoopy after the dose of angst. 
> 
> Let me know if I missed any tags, I've gotten a bit lazy with my tags lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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